The results are in for PETA's 14th annual Libby Awards (“Libby” is short for “liberation” — as in “animal liberation”), in which the group’s youth division recognizes the most powerful players on the animal rights scene — and Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton and NBA All-Star Chris Paul have come out on top for advocating healthy vegan eating.
Hamilton won Best ’Gram for Animals for sharing a photo of a mother pig and her babies lying dead in a dumpster and urging followers to go vegan. In the post, he wrote, “A mother and her babies tossed away like trash. Their rights were never considered, their lives were never theirs to live. This is the price of your bacon. … #chooselove #govegan.”
Paul — who, like Hamilton, is among the executive producers of the groundbreaking documentary The Game Changers — was named Most Animal-Friendly Athlete for touting the benefits of vegan eating. He recently starred in a commercial for Beyond Meat, for which he’s a company ambassador, and while stripping down for the ESPN The Magazine Body Issue, he exclaimed that he felt “pretty damn good” after making the compassionate switch. Other equally deserving role models who vied for the title were Elena Delle Donne, who teamed up with PETA to promote animal adoption; Nate Diaz, a UFC fighter who has been vegan since he was a teen; and Ashima Shiraishi, a climbing prodigy and vegan Olympic hopeful.
“Chris Paul and Lewis Hamilton are as strong animal advocates as they are skilled athletes,” says PETA Senior Director of Youth Programs Marta Holmberg. “PETA is recognizing them for reaching their young fans with the powerful message that vegan eating builds strength and compassion.”
